Peddler Doll

Last summer when I was in Montana visiting LaVonne, we got hooked on PEDDLER DOLLS.
What is a peddler doll? Peddler dolls were popular in the 18th and 19th century. Peddlers were women who traveled the roads in England "peddling their wares"....needles, thread, pins, lace, toys, yard goods as well as gossip. Sometimes they were also called notion nannies. Sadly these ladies were often real  thieves and not to be trusted.

Women became interested in making these dolls and showing off their doll making skills. They often wore a calico dress, an apron, and a cape with a white trimmed hood. They could have all their goodies in a basket around their neck or may just carry a big basket. The Peddler Dolls could be made from a wooden peg doll, a china head doll or a Parian doll.

I love their baskets filled with all kinds of treasures. I love miniatures, so this really appeals to me.

Tuesday morning when I got up and came out into the living room, I saw two beautiful Parian dolls in my living room. I was just stunned. LaVonne was sitting on the couch just grinning from ear to ear! One of the dolls was to be my Christmas gift! She said we she was afraid that we would never get another doll made, so she went on the hunt for two ready made dolls for us to use for our Peddlers.
They are 18 inch Parian dolls with blonde hair.

This one is mine. She is darling. LaVonne found a lady on Etsy who made her close to the Parian that LaVonne had found first on Ebay. They are the same size, but their faces are a bit different.

This one is her sweet dolly. She found a lady in Canada who made the outfits. She had her fashion the apron with pockets for all her goodies.

Can you see all the pockets in the apron?

Our friend Clarice calls LaVonne and I the SAUERKRAUT SISTERS...fermented in love. So we have decided that we need to give our dolls a German name. We are both German.

This is going to be such a fun project!!! Thanks so very much LaVonne!!!!!